The World Doesn’t Need Your Gift

The world needs you to believe in it.

I can’t really remember what it was but I remember loving it so much, I took it around and showed it to all of my friends.

Then I remember being pulled aside by an adult who scolded me. She said, “It’s not polite to brag.”

I didn’t understand.

Why was it wrong for me to show other people something that made me happy?

But from that day on, I developed a fear of showing people nice things.

Whenever I made something cool in art class, I wouldn’t show it to anyone. Whenever I was recognized in school for anything, I would downplay it.

It sounds strange to say but my own accomplishments made me uncomfortable.

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So when it came to making this blog, the hardest thing about it was believing I have something worthy to share.

It was like I was six again.

I was afraid to share my experiences because I didn’t want people to think I THINK I am interesting.

I was afraid to share any advice because I didn’t want people to think I THINK I know everything. Because I don’t.

I felt like an imposter. The imposter syndrome hit me hard.

I kept asking myself, who am I and by what authority do I have to write and share these things with the world?

I am not a professional, I am not successful, I am just a girl with stories.

But something in me kept pushing me to do it.

Something in me kept telling me it’s okay. It’s okay to share your stories even if you aren’t an expert.

It’s okay to share with the world what makes you happy and what makes you sad.

It’s okay to share what makes you human.

Stop Diminishing Your Own Worth

We all have talents and skills to share with the world. We all have gifts.

Whether you embrace it or not, however, is up to you.

Sometimes a friend will tell me about a dream of theirs and it’ll leave me breathless because I think it’s so amazing.

But without a doubt, they’ll start talking themselves out of it.

They’ll say, “I don’t know… I don’t think I have what it takes.”

I understand this feeling very well.

I remember admitting to a friend once that I think my dreams are too big for me. Because it was so overwhelming to think about what I can achieve. The pressure was too much.

And I believe this is what drives most people to stay in their comfort zones because it is just easier to stay where you are than to think you can achieve greatness.

You think most people are afraid of failure? I think most people are afraid of what they can accomplish.

Do not do this.

Do not psych yourself out by your dream before you even take the first step.

Take It A Little By Little

People often underestimate the power of doing things a little by little. When they don’t see progress, they think it’s not working so they give up.

Don’t.

When I first started this blog, it took me months just to make the front page. It’s two sentences but I revised it about 150 times. It took me another month to choose a theme and another to write my first post.

It felt impossible.

But slowly and slowly, I strung the words together, then the pictures, and somehow I put together several pages.

When it was all done, I couldn’t believe it.

Still, I look at it today and wonder who did all this.

But it was me. All me. And it feels wonderful.

Share Your Gift

I think the person who scolded me when I was six misunderstood me.

Maybe she was worried my gift would make another child feel bad but it certainly wasn’t my intention.

I was sharing it because it made me happy and I wanted other people to be a part of it, just like the experiences I share on this blog.

I don’t share them to tell people “Look at me! Look at all the things I’ve done!”

What I really want to say is “I accomplished some of my dreams and it feels wonderful and I want you to feel it too.”

I want you to get up and share your gifts because when you do, it doesn’t just benefit you, it benefits everyone who comes across it.

When you share your gifts, you inspire others to do it too.

Dare to Be Inspiring

I used to think in order to be inspiring, you have to be GREAT. But actually, all you have to be is you.

The most inspiring people I know in my life are not the people who’ve accomplished the most nor the people with the most.

It’s the people who love what they do the most.

I love watching people paint, sing, dance or just talk passionately about anything. I once spent hours reading a man’s blog about treasure hunting even though I had no intention of doing it myself. His passion for metal detectors was strangely engrossing.

When people love what they do, it’s infectious. They smile a little brighter, they stand a little taller, they laugh a little more wholeheartedly. To me, that’s the beauty of gifts.

Those are the most inspiring people in my life.

And that’s what the world needs even more.

“You may not be the first to say it, write it, create it, or believe it—but you saying it may be the first time someone finally hears. Yes, someone else can say it better, but that doesn’t mean you can’t say it too. Throw out your inhibitions and spin around in this crazy world of recycled ideas. There is nothing new to say. Say it anyway.” – Emily P. Freeman